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Lake County Personal Injury Lawyer

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If you were injured in Lake County, Illinois, you generally have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (735 ILCS 5/13-202), and claims against local government bodies can have a one-year deadline. Lake County injury lawsuits are heard by the Civil Division of the 19th Judicial Circuit at the Lake County Courthouse, 18 N. County St., Waukegan. Stavros Law Offices serves Lake County clients from our Wheeling office. Call (847) 520-4810 for a free consultation.

General information, not legal advice. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Where Injury Lawsuits Are Filed in Lake County

Lake County is the 19th Judicial Circuit. The circuit's Civil Division handles cases in which a plaintiff seeks money damages for injuries, and the court lists car accidents, medical malpractice and defective products as common examples. The Civil Law Division courtrooms are in the Lake County Courthouse and Administration Building, 18 N. County St., Waukegan, IL 60085, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court's office is on the lower level of the same building.

The circuit also runs branch courts in Mundelein, Round Lake Beach and Park City, and the court lists its North Branch Court in Round Lake Beach as a traffic court. If you received a traffic ticket after a crash, that ticket may be heard in a different building from your injury case. Under 735 ILCS 5/2-101, a lawsuit may generally be filed in the county where a properly joined defendant lives or where part of the events happened, so a Lake County crash often leads to a Lake County filing.

The court lists courthouse hours as Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We confirm the right courtroom and filing steps before any court date, so you will not need to work that out alone.

Lake County Crash Data From IDOT

The Illinois Department of Transportation's 2024 Illinois Crash Facts & Statistics (published January 1, 2026) lists 11,971 motor vehicle crashes in Lake County in 2024, including 48 fatal crashes. For comparison, IDOT lists 164,559 crashes in Cook County and 17,323 in DuPage County for the same year.

IDOT counts a crash when it happens on a public roadway, involves a moving motor vehicle, and causes death, injury or property damage above $1,500 (or $500 if any driver is uninsured). The figures count crashes, not people, and they cannot predict what any one claim is worth. They are a reminder that serious crashes happen every year in Lake County and that evidence and medical records should be gathered early.

Types of Injury Cases We Handle

Lake County drivers, pedestrians, shoppers and patients can all be hurt through someone else's carelessness. We review claims such as:

Filing Deadlines for Lake County Injury Claims

Most Illinois personal injury lawsuits must be filed within two years after the injury (735 ILCS 5/13-202). Reporting a claim to an insurer does not generally stop that clock; only filing in court does. Our guide to the Illinois personal injury statute of limitations explains the exceptions in detail.

  • Local government defendants: a civil action against a local public entity or its employees generally must be commenced within one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101). If a city, village, township, park district or school district may be involved, call right away.
  • Wrongful death: generally two years from the date of death, brought by the personal representative (740 ILCS 180/2).
  • Medical malpractice: generally two years from when the injury was or should have been discovered, and no more than four years from the act or omission (735 ILCS 5/13-212).

If your injury involved a village, township, park district, school district or another local public body, the one-year deadline may apply. Tell us at the first call so we can check it.

Fault and Insurance in Lake County Claims

Illinois follows a modified comparative fault rule. If a jury finds you more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover; if you are not more than 50% at fault, your damages are reduced by your share (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). Insurers often point to your own conduct to reduce a claim, so photos, the police report and medical records matter from the start.

Illinois minimum liability limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, and $20,000 for property damage. Those limits can fall short after a serious injury, so we review every possible source of recovery, including your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.

Lake County Communities We Serve

We have a local page for personal injury cases in Waukegan, the Lake County seat. Clients elsewhere in the county, such as Gurnee, Libertyville, Mundelein, Vernon Hills and Round Lake Beach, are served in the same way.

We do not have an office in Waukegan or elsewhere in Lake County. Clients are served from the Wheeling office at 433 N. Milwaukee Ave. If a crash also led to a traffic or DUI charge, see our Lake County DUI page.

Free Guides for Injured People

Whatever county you were hurt in, these pages explain the first steps in plain language: the Car Accident Resource Center, the car accident checklist, dealing with insurance after a crash and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. For medical bills and fault, see who pays medical bills after a car accident and comparative fault in Illinois.

Other Counties We Serve

Crashes do not always happen where you live. If your injury happened in another county, these pages cover the local courts:

Lake County Personal Injury FAQ

How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Lake County?

Generally two years from the date of injury under Illinois law (735 ILCS 5/13-202). Claims against local government bodies can carry a one-year deadline, so confirm your deadline as soon as possible.

Where is a Lake County injury lawsuit filed?

Injury lawsuits arising in Lake County are generally filed in the Civil Division of the 19th Judicial Circuit at the Lake County Courthouse, 18 N. County St., Waukegan. We confirm the right courtroom and filing steps for your case.

Is my traffic ticket heard at the same courthouse as my injury case?

Not always. The 19th Circuit uses branch courts for some matters, and the court lists its North Branch Court in Round Lake Beach as a traffic court. Check your ticket or the Circuit Clerk for the location, and tell us about the ticket because it can affect how your injury case is handled.

What if I was partly at fault for the crash?

You can still recover if you are not more than 50% at fault, though your damages are reduced by your percentage. If you are more than 50% at fault, Illinois law bars recovery (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).

Can you help if the other driver has no insurance?

Often your own policy includes uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage. We review your policy and every other possible source of recovery.

Do you have an office in Lake County?

No. Our office is at 433 N. Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090, and we serve Lake County clients from there. Call (847) 520-4810 to schedule a free consultation.

Talk to Our Team

Stavros Law Offices is one team handling criminal defense and DUI, personal injury and civil litigation. We serve Lake County clients from our Wheeling office. Call (847) 520-4810 or request a free consultation online. Our bilingual staff can assist. Se habla español.

Stavros Law Offices
433 N. Milwaukee Ave, Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 520-4810
Monday–Friday 9–5; closed Saturday
Free consultation. Serving clients in Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane and DuPage Counties.

General information, not legal advice; no attorney-client relationship until engaged; past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Laws, deadlines and court procedures change and every case is different. Last reviewed: October 2026.

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Primarily practicing in the following counties: ​Lake, Cook, McHenry, Kane, Will, DuPage, ​DeKalb, Boone and Kendall Counties

Office Location

433 N. Milwaukee Ave
Wheeling, IL 60090
847-520-4810
Monday - Friday: 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM
Saturday: Closed